How Do I Become a Christian?

You’ve talked with your Christian friends, been to church, maybe even a Christian concert; you’ve heard about Jesus…you’re asking yourself, “How do I become a Christian?”.

God wants you to enter into a personal relationship with Him – He is massively in love with you, and He wants to start that relationship with you right now. Here are some easy steps to starting a new life as a child of God:

Step 1 -- Know God’s Plan for You

God loves you and wants you to have a life of peace and fulfillment (abundant life).

Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life, and that they have it more abundantly.” --- John 10:10 (NIV)

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. ---John 3:16 (NIV)

How is it, then, that most people don’t have the abundant life and peace that God planned for us?

Step 2 – Understand our Problem: We are Separated from God

We chose to go our own way – away from God. We have our own free will and freedom to make choices; God did not make us robots that would be forced to love him, no more than you are forced to love certain people. As we choose to go our own way disobeying God (the Bible calls this sin) and live a life apart from Him, we are separated from Him and cannot enjoy the life of peace and abundance that He desires for us.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”---Romans 3:23 (NIV)

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”---Romans 6:23 (NIV)

People try to bridge this separation between God and themselves in many ways, such as religion, being a good moral person, and service to the community. But these attempts cannot reach God.

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”---Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)

“But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear.”

---Isaiah 59:2 (NIV)

But God has provided us with a solution to this problem; we no longer have to be separated from Him.

Step 3 – Know God’s Provision for You

God loved you so much that He provided His only Son, Jesus Christ, as the means to remove the barrier or separation between Him and us.

“But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”---Romans 5:8 (NIV)

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ.”---1Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

Each of us, individually, must make a choice to accept God’s provision.

Step 4 – Ask God to remove that separation; receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior by inviting him into your life.

You cannot inherit being a Christian from your parents and you are not a Christian just because you attend a church. Your relationship with God is personal and is something that you must begin by asking Him to come into your life. You do not have to be “good enough” to start your relationship with Him. He loves you and will accept you just as you are.

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.” ---John 1:12 (NIV)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”---Romans 10:9 (NIV)

You can become a Christian right now, wherever you are, by inviting Jesus to come into your heart and life. Pray this prayer (prayer is talking to God) of invitation right now, and mean it sincerely from your heart; God will hear you and honor your prayer.

Dear Jesus:

I am asking you to come into my life and heart. I no longer want to be separated from you and want the abundant life that you have promised. I know that I have sinned by trying to live my life on my own and I ask your forgiveness for that. I believe that you are God’s son, who died for me on the cross and rose from the grave. Please take control of my life and make me the person that you want me to be – I turn away from my old ways. I take you as my Savior and ask you to be Lord of my life.

I ask these things in your name – Amen.

If you have prayed this prayer just now, we would love to hear from you. This is an exciting, life changing decision, which will give you new hope and a new destiny. We will gladly send you a free Bible and some materials to help you with your new Christian life. Please call our office at 909.463.0103 to receive these materials and to speak with a pastor if you wish.